Iran is to issue a CD and book documenting the recent detention of 15 British sailors in an attempt to counter claims of mistreatment and maximise what it sees as a major propaganda victory. The plan, disclosed at the country's armed forces headquarters, has been hatched partly as a riposte to the sale of the sailors' stories to the British media, which has been greeted with bewilderment in Iran. It is also a response to a Ministry of Defence press conference at which six of the sailors said their admissions - screened on Iranian state television - to having illegally entered Iran's territorial waters were extracted under psychological pressure during their 13-day detention. The book and CD will aim to challenge that view by "documenting" the sailors' arrest, interrogations alleged confessions. Iranian officials have accused Britain of forcing the sailors to retract their admissions. ... http://www.guardian.co.uk

An explosion tore apart an apartment building early Wednesday, killing a baby and a man and injuring seven other people, officials said.The explosion at Tucker Heights apartments at about 3 a.m. destroyed at least five apartments and heavily damaged the 10-unit, two-story building, Melbourne Fire-Rescue Assistant Chief Greg Anglin said.Windows in nearby buildings were blown out, and debris was found hundreds of yards away, officials said."At least half of the apartments in the building are demolished," Anglin said.Two people, a man and an infant, were killed, Anglin said. Officials did not release the names of the victims. Anglin said that the cause of the explosion is under investigation but that authorities suspect natural gas....http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/11/building.explosion.ap/index.html?eref=rss_us

The EU has denied Palestinian appeals for financial aid as the new unity government faces a funding crisis. Palestinian finance minister Salam Fayyad says the government needed one billion euros ($US1.3bn) in aid. After talks in Brussels, the EU offered technical assistance, but said it needed more time to decide whether it could resume financial aid. The EU provides humanitarian aid to the Palestinians but suspended direct aid to the Palestinian Authority last year. The embargo followed the election of Hamas, which it regards as a terrorist organisation. Mr Fayyad said the new unity government was going through a very acute financial crisis, with the government operating on just a quarter of the funds it needs for this year. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6545619.stm

Prosecutors can tell a jury that former NBA star Jayson Williams wiped down a shotgun and jumped into a swimming pool to conceal evidence after a man was killed in his bedroom, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. Prosecutors want to present that in a retrial of Williams on a charge of reckless manslaughter. The athlete was convicted in 2004 of attempting to cover up the slaying but jurors were unable to reach a verdict on the reckless manslaughter count. Williams was acquitted of the more serious charge of aggravated manslaughter, with his lawyers arguing the shooting was accidental. His lawyers argued that it would be improper for the new jury to hear what happened after Williams snapped the shotgun shut, which sent a single blast into the chest of hired driver Costas "Gus" Christofi on Valentine's Day 2002. ...http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3030081

Iranian state television showed hospital images Wednesday of the Iranian diplomat who has accused the CIA of torturing him during his detention in Iraq. State TV also reported that the Iraqi ambassador to Iran and an official from the International Committee of the Red Cross visited Jalal Sharafi in the hospital Wednesday. Sharafi was shown in a hospital bed with injuries to his right foot, while Iraqi ambassador Majid Sheikh and Peter G. Stocker from the ICRC examined him. During the examination, the voice of a doctor could be heard describing how Sharafi had been beaten by a cable during his detention. Claims of torture have not been independently verified. Following his visit, Stocker confirmed to The Associated Press that he saw wounds on Sharafi’s body that “were several weeks old,” but said he did not know how the injuries occurred....http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11909497/

Another spring snowstorm spread across the upper Midwest on Wednesday, closing schools and grounding more than 200 airline flights. North Dakota had already measured 7 inches, and up to 10 inches was possible in Wisconsin, the National Weather Service said. More than 200 flights were canceled at O'Hare International Airport because of poor visibility, said aviation spokeswoman Wendy Abrams. The airport also had delays that were about 60 to 90 minutes on inbound and outbound flights. Delays at Midway Airport were about 20 to 30 minutes, she said. Nearly two dozen school districts canceled classes Wednesday across southern Minnesota, where up to 6 inches of snow was forecast. Snow this late is not unusual, said weather service meteorologist Andrew Krein in Chicago....http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3030079